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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/29438952">The roads are my home, horizon's my target.</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiCup/pseuds/BiCup'>BiCup</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SBI Foster AU :D [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Minecraft (Video Game), Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Foster Family, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, CHARACTERS BUT NOT CCS, Family Feels, Fluff and Angst, Foster Care, Found Family, Gen, Implied/Referenced Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Gun Violence, Minecraft IRL, Niki | Nihachu and Toby Smith | Tubbo are Siblings, Past Child Abuse, Piglin Hybrid Technoblade (Video Blogging RPF), Ram Hybrid Toby Smith | Tubbo, Running Away, Sleepy Bois Inc as Family, Sort of? - Freeform, Swearing, TommyInnit-centric (Video Blogging RPF), Wilbur Soot and Technoblade are Siblings, but its also modern?, dad!schlatt, theres things like piglin hybrids</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-02-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-20 13:22:40</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>9,186</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/29438952</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BiCup/pseuds/BiCup</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Tommy has been passed around through many foster homes. Just as he was getting sick of it all, he is put into a new family. The man, Phil, and his two sons, Wilbur and Techno, don't seem too bad. Is it all some façade? Or has Tommy finally found a family that cares for him?</p><p>~~~</p><p>THESE ARE NOT BASED ON THE CCS THEMSELVES JUST THEIR CHARACTERS. If they state that they are uncomfortable with fanfics like these I will take this down as soon as I find out.</p><p>(Title from 'Since I Saw Vienna' by Wilbur Soot)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Alexis | Quackity &amp; TommyInnit, Grayson | Purpled &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Jack Manifold &amp; TommyInnit, Jschlatt &amp; Toby Smith | Tubbo, Minx | JustAMinx &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Niki | Nihachu &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Ranboo &amp; TommyInnit (Video Blogging RPF), Sam | Awesamdude &amp; TommyInnit, Toby Smith | Tubbo &amp; TommyInnit, Wilbur Soot &amp; Technoblade &amp; TommyInnit &amp; Phil Watson, Wilbur Soot/Sally The Salmon - mentioned</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>SBI Foster AU :D [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/2242005</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>68</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>892</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. A New Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Some info before you get into the first chapter! Phil is 30, Wilbur is 17, Techno is 16 and Tommy is 14.</p><p>This is also set in London so this does mean there are going to be school uniforms. This also means that Wilbur is in Sixth Form (I attached a sixth form to the high school in this since my actual school has done this), Techno is in Year 11 and Tommy in Year 9!</p><p>Hope you enjoy this first chapter. Like I said, this is going to be updated at random!! &lt;3</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“So, Tommy, how are you feeling about this new home?”</p><p> </p><p>Tommy shrugged as Puffy asked the question. Every foster home was the same. Get there, be treated well for the first day, get attacked and belittled the next, get sent back, repeat cycle. The blond had gotten used to it at this point.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t really have an opinion on it. What’s the guy like again?”</p><p> </p><p>Puffy chuckled, “Well, his name is Phil Watson. He has two sons, both foster kids too, he adopted them after fostering them. I believe they’re twins? I’m not too sure, you’ll have to see for yourself.” She turned the corner and pulled up outside the house, which Tommy assumed was where he’d be staying. It was a nice house, he had to admit. It was a two-storey house and the exterior screamed ‘wealthy’. Not filthy rich, but still quite wealthy. Puffy cleared her throat and smiled at Tommy before exiting the car. No going back now.</p><p> </p><p>The two of them walked up the path towards the front door and the adult of the two knocked on the door. A few minutes passed before a man opened the door. Tommy took in his appearance. Blond hair that just passed his ears but didn’t quite touch his shoulders yet and a green and white bucket hat. Interesting choice. A smile was plastered on the man’s face, but it unsettled Tommy. A lot of his previous homes were like this, all smiles and happy greetings the first day, violence and aggressiveness the next.</p><p> </p><p>“You must be Phil Watson, correct?” Puffy questioned.</p><p> </p><p>“Yup! You must be Puffy, and you must be Thomas. Come inside!” Phil tipped his hat and stepped out of the way for the two to enter.</p><p> </p><p>“Just Tommy is fine for me, big man.” Tommy muttered as he traipsed inside. Phil nodded and flashed him a grin. The teen returned it half-heartedly and observed the room he was now stood in. It was big, but not absolutely massive. There was a doorway on the other side of the room that led to the dining room, which Tommy assumed was attached to the kitchen that could not be seen. To his left was a staircase and a corridor. Must be where the bedrooms and bathroom (bathrooms?) are.</p><p> </p><p>“Right!” Puffy clapped her hands and smiled, “We sorted everything out over the phone, so this is it from me. Hope you have a nice time here, Tommy! Call if anything’s needed.” She patted his back gently. She bid goodbye to Phil and grabbed her bag which she had left on the counter.</p><p> </p><p>The two of them watched from the door as Puffy drove off down the street, out of view. Once she was gone, Phil turned to Tommy and gestured for him to come back inside. The teen did so, although he was reluctant to at first.</p><p> </p><p>“So, Tommy, you already know my name, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, Phil.”</p><p> </p><p>“Good!” He sat down on the sofa and tapped the seat on the other end, inviting Tommy to do so. He sat down and watched the adult for any red flags or warnings. It was a habit he’d picked up from his previous homes in case they turned out to be abusive.</p><p> </p><p>“She mentioned I have two sons, right?” Tommy nodded, “They’re both at school right now, but they’ll be back in about an hour! Their names are Wilbur and Techno, Wilbur’s the oldest. You can ask them any questions when they get back.” The teen nodded once again and fiddled with the ends of his hoodie sleeves. The fact he was so supportive and didn’t seem to show any red flags made Tommy sick. All he wanted to do was to go to whichever room he’d be staying in and just pretend like the world didn’t exist for a few hours.</p><p> </p><p>“Is it okay if…is it okay if I just go to my room?” He asked timidly.</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? Oh, sure mate! I’ll show you to it.” Phil stood up and Tommy followed behind, keeping himself a good distance away. They reached the staircase and started climbing it. The duo walked down the corridor and stopped outside a plain white door that was not decorated unlike two of the other doors. Phil opened it, gesturing for Tommy to go inside and check the room out. It wasn’t anything special, just a simple bed in one corner with a nightstand next to, a wardrobe pushed up against the wall to Tommy’s right and a desk with a chair by the window.</p><p> </p><p>“Obviously, it won’t be decorated, but we can get ya some stuff.” The adult leant against the doorframe and took his bucket hat off, holding it in his hands. Tommy took a proper look at his face before turning back around. He dumped his bag by the side of the bed and sat down on it carefully. It was comfortable, much better than the beds in some of the other places he’d lived in.</p><p> </p><p>“I’ll leave you to sort yourself out then. Feel free to come downstairs whenever. My bedroom is downstairs and so is one of the bathrooms, the other is up here and so are Wilbur and Techno’s rooms. Dinner’s gonna be at 6:15, so just be down by then!” Phil explained before closing the door and leaving the room. Tommy exhaled and threw himself onto his bed, ruffling the sheets slightly. Everything was just…perfect. It felt weird, his previous homes were not nearly as welcoming as this. Sighing, he opened his bag and started to place his clothes into the wardrobe. He took out a journal and a pencil case too, throwing them onto the desk carelessly. Might as well get settled in.</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>The time was now 6:15 and Tommy slowly walked downstairs. His hands were shoved into his hoodie pockets as he walked into the dining room. Upon entering, he noticed two people that were not in the house when he arrived. Must be Phil’s sons. One had dark, curly brown hair, mostly covered with a burgundy beanie. He wore glasses and a yellow sweater. The other was half-piglin to Tommy’s surprise. He had long, pink hair that went past his shoulders and he also wore glasses. His outfit was a lot more formal, for he was wearing a pristine blouse.</p><p> </p><p>“You must be the kid that dad’s fostering, right?” Tommy nodded as the brunet spoke, “Cool! I’m Wilbur, and this here is Techno.”</p><p> </p><p>Techno nodded and went back to the book that was open in his hands. Wilbur leaned over to Tommy who had taken a seat next to him and whispered, “He doesn’t talk to people unless he’s known them for a while.”</p><p> </p><p>“I can hear you.” Techno’s voice was low and monotone, surprising the blond teen. Wilbur snorted and Tommy even laughed a tiny bit too. Suddenly, Techno’s phone went off and he checked it, smiling at the notification. The oldest of the group smirked.</p><p> </p><p>“Is that your boyfriend?”</p><p> </p><p>Techno groaned, “For the<em> last</em> time, Wilbur, Dream and I are <em>not</em> dating. You<em> know </em>he’s with George.” The piglin-hybrid threw his book at his brother when he laughed, “Anyways, shouldn’t you be worrying about your own relationship with…what’s her name? Oh, Sally.”</p><p> </p><p>Wilbur immediately shut up, face red, and crossed his arms across his chest, muttering something under his breath. Tommy stifled a snort and fiddled with the ends of his hoodie sleeves like he had done when he first arrived. If he was being honest, the family didn’t seem <em>too</em> bad. However, he was not about to let his guard down yet. There was always some façade that the families he stayed with put on.</p><p> </p><p>The conversation died down as Phil walked in. The adult noticed Tommy at the table and flashed him a smile, “Glad you joined us, Tommy!” Tommy just nodded in response. Techno stood up to help Phil set the plates that were now filled with food down onto the table. Once everyone had been handed their food, they began eating, except for Tommy. The teen just simply played with his food, pushing it around the plate with the fork in his hand. It wasn’t that he was not hungry, he just simply didn’t feel comfortable enough to eat around them, at least not yet.</p><p> </p><p>“So, Tommy,” The blond looked up at Phil, “We do have rules here, but they aren’t too serious or anything.”</p><p> </p><p>“What are they?”</p><p> </p><p>“First, we have curfews. Since you’re 14, yours will be 10pm at the latest, Wilbur and Techno’s is 12am at the latest. Second is that all of us do chores. Techno usually deals with the garden; Wilbur does the laundry and I do the dishes. You’ll just take the rubbish out, but you don’t have to do it yet! You deserve time to settle in.”</p><p> </p><p>“Wilbur broke-”</p><p> </p><p>“Quiet, Techno!”</p><p> </p><p>Phil and Tommy laughed at the brother’s antics, “Finally, just don’t lie to me. If you need help with something, let me know. If you’re going somewhere, let me know. Pretty straight forward if you ask me!”</p><p> </p><p>“Sounds simple enough.” Tommy finally took a bite of his food and was amazed at how well it tasted. He immediately began to eat the rest.</p><p> </p><p>Eventually, everyone’s plates were empty, and dinner was over. Phil was in the kitchen cleaning up, so Tommy decided to explore the house a bit more. Downstairs he didn’t find much apart from some small room that had boxes of old stuff. He didn’t rummage through them. Moving upstairs, he stopped outside of Wilbur’s room. Soft, calming guitar strums came from inside the room.</p><p> </p><p>Tommy peaked in through the slightly open door and looked inside. Multiples pieces of paper were strewn out across Wilbur’s bed and floor and there sat the oldest child, playing his guitar, decorated in multiple stickers. The blond was about to leave when he heard the other start singing. It was a song he had never heard, so he assumed it was Wilbur’s own. That would explain the mountains on paper.</p><p> </p><p>A tap on his shoulder broke him from his trance and Tommy flinched, quickly moving away. Techno stared at him with an eyebrow raised.</p><p> </p><p>“What were you doing?”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh...I…Uhm-”</p><p> </p><p>“Doesn’t matter…Dad told me to tell you that you start school on Monday so…yeah. Bye.” Techno played with his hands and, once he was done talking, walked away to his own room, shutting the door. Tommy honestly didn’t expect the piglin-hybrid to speak to him directly on his first day. Those thoughts were quickly shut down when he remembered that Techno mentioned school.</p><p> </p><p>School was never fun for him. Constantly being made fun of for being a ‘foster kid’ was torture for the teen.</p><p> </p><p>Sighing, he ran a hand through his hair and went into his own room, closing the door fully. This family was perfect, <em>too perfect</em>. He couldn’t dwell on it, though. He had the weekend now before his first day in literal hell began. He just prayed it wasn’t like the last school he went to. He checked his phone for the time. Yes, he had a phone, albeit damaged. The time read 19:00. Although it was only 7pm, Tommy had to admit that he was quite tired. Might as well try and get an early start tomorrow morning. He changed into his one pair of pyjamas and climbed into his new bed. He clutched the covers tightly.

Day one, officially over.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. A Familiar Face</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Had a bit of a struggle titling this chapter but hey, we got there eventually. Also SAM IS HERE THIS CHAPTER LETS GOOOOOOOOOOO!! Hope you enjoy!! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Light poured through the window as the birds chirped outside. Tommy opened his eyes with a groan and sat up, stretching. Day two had begun. Throwing back the duvet, he left the bed and walked over to the wardrobe, changing into some random baseball tee and jeans. Wasn’t like he had a lot of clothes on him in the first place.</p><p> </p><p>He trudged down the stairs and entered the living room, not knowing exactly what to do. He’d been there a day, well, less than a day, he couldn’t exactly walk around like he owned the place, could he?</p><p> </p><p>Carefully, he sat down onto the sofa and stared at the ground. The house was quiet; it was only 8am on a Saturday. Tommy noticed a book on the coffee table and picked it up, reading the title. ‘Alexander Hamilton’ was printed onto the cover and the teen smiled. He’d always liked history, and he was a fan of the musical. He opened the book and turned to the first page, instantly reading the first line. He wasn’t one to do much reading, but he had to admit, the book was interesting.</p><p> </p><p>Footsteps from behind him sounded in the practically silent room and he turned around. Wilbur was coming down the stairs in his pyjamas, yawning and rubbing at his eyes. Upon noticing Tommy, he smiled softly.</p><p> </p><p>“Morning.”</p><p> </p><p>“Uh…good morning.” Tommy watched as the older boy wandered into the kitchen, out of view, before returning to the book. Wilbur returned after a few minutes with a cup of coffee in one hand and a cup of hot chocolate in the other. He set down the hot chocolate in front of Tommy before taking a seat next to the blond and reaching for the TV remote, switching it on. Tommy looked at him, puzzled. The brunet laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“It’s for you, gremlin. Think of it as a welcoming gift from me.”</p><p> </p><p>Tommy smiled awkwardly. He closed the book (making sure to mark the page he was at with some random piece of paper that he had found on the table) and took the warm cup into his hands. He took a sip cautiously. Wilbur took notice and laughed again.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t worry, I haven’t poisoned it. If I did I woulda given it to Techno.”</p><p> </p><p>That got a laugh out of Tommy. He took another sip, then another, then another. It was…nice.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, another pair of footsteps came from behind and, this time, both teens turned to see who it was. Phil had left his room and was on his way to the kitchen to grab some food, already donning his iconic bucket hat.</p><p> </p><p>“Morning Dadza!”</p><p> </p><p>“Morning Wilbur, and morning to you too Tommy!” Phil waved as he entered the kitchen, returning with a bowl of cereal in his hands. The adult sat down in the empty armchair and began eating, watching whatever show Wilbur had tuned in on. Tommy had to admit, being surrounded by these people was oddly comforting. For once, it felt like he had a family, a <em>real </em>family.</p><p> </p><p>‘<em>It’s your second day, idiot. You’ll be gone soon. Don’t get attached.</em>’ A voice in the back of his head muttered. He let the grin that had plastered itself onto his face fall and placed the half empty cup of hot chocolate back onto the coffee table. He pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, choosing to just watch TV instead of reading. After all, the book wasn’t his.</p><p> </p><p>“Tommy,” The teen looked over at Phil, “You sleep alright?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah…”</p><p> </p><p>“Good!” The trio sat in silence for the next few minutes, simply focusing on the TV. Techno joined them at some point, but it wasn’t long before they had to go and do work. Wilbur had some homework to finish and Techno had some random test to revise for, leaving Phil and Tommy in the living room, only each other as company. Tommy felt awkward to say the least.</p><p> </p><p>“So,” He looked up, “I’m not at work today so I was wondering if you wanted to head out and get some stuff for your room? Of course, you don’t have to!”</p><p> </p><p>Tommy was silent for a few minutes before responding, “Okay then.”</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>The car ride into town was around 20 minutes, Tommy had been timing it on his phone. He didn’t know why he did, he just found it entertaining. Turns out he found a lot of things entertaining that usually wouldn’t be.</p><p> </p><p>However, it was extremely annoying having to wander around town, going into many different shops just to buy things for a room that he would probably only have for a week maximum. He appreciated the effort Phil was putting in, but there just wasn’t any point. If he wasn’t going to be staying, why try to make it seem like he lived there?</p><p> </p><p>As they wandered around (Tommy staying behind a little bit), a certain store caught his eye. It was one he had seen and gone to many times before in one of his previous homes. The store sold lots of different building supplies as well as lots of different furnishings and decorations. The teen stopped outside and turned to face it. Phil had stopped to wait for Tommy but, upon seeing him look at the store with a certain fondness in his eyes, he grinned and walked towards him.</p><p> </p><p>“You want to head inside?”</p><p> </p><p>“Huh? Oh, uh…if it’s alright with you? I just wanna check something.”</p><p> </p><p>“Of course, it’s fine with me!” Phil chuckled, “C’mon, let’s go.”</p><p> </p><p>The duo walked through the doors. Phil said that he was going to have a look around, handing Tommy some money so he could ‘buy something that caught his eye’. That wasn’t what Tommy was there for, though. The blond navigated the store until he reached the checkout. Scanning the area, his eyes landed on a familiar figure, and for the first time in the new home, he smiled, big and proud.</p><p> </p><p>“Sam!”</p><p> </p><p>A creeper-hybrid turned around to see who was calling his name. Once his own eyes landed on Tommy, he laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“Holy…Tommy?”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, big man!” Tommy ran forward and hopped up onto a counter by Sam’s position at the checkout and beamed at the adult. In one of his old homes, he would be sent to the store to buy paint quite a lot considering the family had been building something, he couldn’t remember exactly what. He didn’t complain about it; it got him away from the abuse.</p><p> </p><p>The teen had befriended Sam quite quickly due to the fact he saw him basically every day. Sam had offered multiple times that he could provide Tommy a safe, protective house for him to live in, but Tommy always turned it down. He never wanted to burden the creeper-hybrid, for he was his first proper friend, albeit the age difference.</p><p> </p><p>“What’re you doing back in this part of London?”</p><p> </p><p>“New home. The dude actually seems…alright. Don’t fucking trust him though, there’s probably something going on that I’m just too blind to see. He’s got two kids himself as well. It all just seems too nice, y’know? Fucking sucks.”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, I’m sure that if even<em> you</em> think he seems like an okay guy, he must be alright. It’s just going to take time, Toms. Plus, my offer <em>does</em> still stand…”</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” Sam snickered and messed with the lanyard around his neck. The presence of his friend made Tommy relax drastically. God, how he had missed it. The two friends talked, exchanging stories that had happened over the few months they hadn’t seen each other. Sam went on about random things that had happened at work and Tommy listened; he really <em>had</em> missed it.</p><p> </p><p>About 15 minutes passed before Tommy noticed Phil making his way to the checkout. He carried cans of paint in his hands that confused the teen. Sam rung the adult up and waved to Tommy as the two left, making Tommy promise to come visit again so they could catch up more.</p><p> </p><p>After the encounter, the duo continued to move around town. By the end of it, Tommy had some random fake plant that had caught his eye, a few new items of clothing (Phil insisted he get himself more than he picked out, but he declined), and a ‘Hamilton’ poster he had managed to somehow find.</p><p> </p><p>“Who was that you spoke to earlier?” Phil questioned.</p><p> </p><p>“Sam. Became friends with him in one of my old homes.”</p><p> </p><p>The adult nodded in understanding as they reached the car. Climbing in, Phil turned the engine on and, once they both had their seatbelts on, drove back home. The car ride back was pretty much silent apart from the music that came out of the car radio. Tommy bopped his head along to the music as he watched the scenery go by. He thought back to what Sam had said. Was he right?</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>The car pulled up into the driveway and Tommy exited the car, carrying the things he had bought in his arms. He had to wait a few minutes until Phil reached the front door to unlock it. Entering the house, arguing could clearly be heard from the living room.</p><p> </p><p>“Give it back, Wilbur.”</p><p> </p><p>“Nah, it’s mine in the first place.”</p><p> </p><p>“You let me borrow it. You’re acting like a little kid, just hand it over!” Tommy tensed as Techno’s voice grew louder. Perfect timing.</p><p> </p><p>“Nope!” Phil and Tommy walked into the living room to witness what was going on. Wilbur had some random book in his right hand, holding it high above his head. Although Techno was 6’2, his brother stood at 6’5, meaning it was difficult to take the book from his grasp. The piglin-hybrid was reaching for it, glaring at Wilbur. Wilbur laughed as his brother struggled to retrieve it.</p><p> </p><p>Tommy was anxious as he watched the two brothers argue back and forth. In his old homes, arguments always led to some form of violence. He heard Phil sigh next to him but paid no attention to it.</p><p> </p><p>“Wilbur, I swear-”</p><p> </p><p>“What?” Before Wilbur could say anything else, Techno punched him in the stomach. He picked the book up from where it had landed on the floor and ran towards the staircase, not noticing Phil and Tommy. The brunet stood up straight from where he had been crouching due to the power of the punch; Techno <em>was </em>pretty strong.</p><p> </p><p>“Ah, shit...Oh! Hi Dad!”</p><p> </p><p>“What was all that about?” Phil asked. Tommy watched as the two talked about whatever just happened. The whole thing had made him tense and on edge, bringing back memories he’d rather lock away in the far corners of his mind. It was just a stupid, harmless argument, but he couldn’t help but get extremely anxious. As Phil and Wilbur spoke, Tommy slipped away with his items still in his arms. He ran upstairs, closing the bedroom harshly as he reached the room. He dumped the items to the side and threw himself onto the bed, curling into himself. God, he was overreacting.</p><p> </p><p>‘<em>Well, I’m sure that if even you think he seems like an okay guy, he must be alright.</em>’ Tommy listened to Sam’s words in his head. Surely, he was right.</p><p> </p><p>Right?</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thanks for reading chapter 2! Hopefully chapter 3 will be out soon! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Back to School Blues</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>i'm SO SORRY this took a few extra days to get out, my laptop for some reason got rid of everything i had for this chapter so rewriting had to be put in place. also it started to get quite long so that's why this chapter ends where it does. sorry for the wait but here we are! hope you enjoy!! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The rest of the weekend passed by quickly and Monday soon arrived. However, Tommy was not looking forward to it. In fact, he had been dreading it immensely. Monday meant school, and it did not help it was a completely new school too. He thought he’d be used to it at this point, going from school to school, but it never got easier.</p><p> </p><p>Phil had laid out a uniform for him that he had bought whilst in town on Saturday. He also bought the teen some school supplies and a new backpack. A bit much if you asked Tommy, though he didn’t actually say it.</p><p> </p><p>As Tommy walked down the stairs towards the kitchen, he fiddled with the tie around his neck. God, it was really annoying. Everything just felt too tight on him despite his uniform being the correct size. Maybe it was just him getting a little too nervous. Surely, it wasn’t going to be <em>too</em> bad, right?</p><p> </p><p>He entered the kitchen and took out a bowl from the cupboard, pouring some cereal in. He was hungry, but not that hungry. Stupid nerves. He took the bowl and moved to the dining room. Wilbur and Techno were already sat there, Wilbur eating some pancakes and Techno with some toast. Upon noticing the younger teen enter, the brunet waved and the piglin-hybrid nodded his head.</p><p> </p><p>“So…you excited for today?” Wilbur asked, taking another bite of his food.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh…not really.”</p><p> </p><p>“I’m sure you’ll be fine!” The oldest laughed and took his now empty plate into the kitchen, placing it into the sink to be cleaned later before returning to the table. Techno did the same once he was done and, instead of returning to the dining room, grabbed his backpack and made his way towards the front door.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going now, meeting up with Ranboo.” Without another word, he left the house.</p><p> </p><p>“Ranboo?” Tommy queried.</p><p> </p><p>“One of his friends in Year 10! Ranboo moved here from America like a month ago and Techno showed him around, guess they just stuck together.” Wilbur reached for his own backpack and placed a hand on Tommy’s shoulder, “C’mon, we walk on Mondays and Tuesdays since Dad’s at work early.”</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>The morning was, to say the least, absolute and utter hell. His teachers didn’t seem to understand that the reason he was late to his lessons that morning was because he was new, which was a completely valid reason. Christ were they dense. At least he had Lunch now, a chance to just sort his thoughts out and gather himself without screwing anything up.</p><p> </p><p>With a pasta pot in his hands, he scanned the canteen for a place to sit. He’d rather <em>not</em> sit next to some random person who was probably 2 years above him.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi! You were the one who was late in English, right?” A sudden voice asked, and Tommy jumped, almost dropping his pasta. He collected himself and turned to his left to see who it was. A boy with dark-brown hair and small ram horns stood next to him, a lot shorter than the blond.</p><p> </p><p>“Did I scare you? I didn’t mean to, sorry!”</p><p> </p><p>“No, it…it’s alright. Who are you anyways?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, I’m Tubbo! We’re in the same English, I was the one you got assigned to sit next to.” Tubbo, huh? It was an interesting name.</p><p> </p><p>“Right, I’m Tommy.” Tommy gave him a smile and cleared his throat. What was he meant to say now?</p><p> </p><p>“Nice! Anyways, I was wondering if you wanted to come and sit with me and my friends? You haven’t really spoken to anyone today. Of course, you don’t have to!”</p><p> </p><p>The blond stared at Tubbo for a few seconds before responding, “Sure, why not.” He could do with some friends in this God-awful environment. He followed the shorter boy as he was guided to a table near the back of the canteen. It was half full, and Tommy took a look at the students sat there.</p><p> </p><p>First was a boy with jet-black hair and a beanie, the letters ‘LAFD’ printed on, he looked to be in the year above. Next was another boy with blond hair and crazy purple eyes. Then another boy sat down next to the one with the beanie, he wore glasses with one blue lens and one red, his hair a dark shade of brown too. Finally, was a girl with bleach-blonde hair that reached her shoulders, round glasses mounted on her face.</p><p> </p><p>“Tubbo! Who’s this?” The one with red and blue glasses asked.</p><p> </p><p>“This is Tommy, he’s new here.”</p><p> </p><p>“Cool, I’m Jack, Jack Manifold.” The same boy replied, tweaking his glasses as a substitute of a wave.</p><p> </p><p>“My name’s Nihachu, but people tend to call me Niki instead!” The girl explained, beaming at Tommy. Tommy flashed a grin back, albeit awkwardly.</p><p> </p><p>“The name’s Purpled.” The one with purple eyes stated.</p><p> </p><p>“And I’m Quackity! Also, Tubbo, your Dad is still single, right?” The one with the beanie questioned. Tommy stifled a laugh as Purpled hit Quackity on the arm. Tubbo rolled his eyes.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>For the last time</em>, Quackity, yes he is but you are <em>not getting his number!</em>” The ram-hybrid took a seat next to Purpled and pat the seat next to him, motioning for Tommy to sit down next to him. He was reluctant to do so at first, but he sat down anyways. The group seemed to be an interesting bunch.</p><p> </p><p>“Tell me if this is a stupid question, but what year are you all in?” He asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! Jack, Quackity and I are in Year 10 whilst Purpled and Tubbo are in Year 9. What about you, Tommy?” Niki clarified. The others all agreed in some way. Tommy told them how he was also in Year 9, Tubbo nodding aggressively to confirm. The others all settled into a conversation, but the blond did not join in. He just sat and picked away at his pasta. He had to admit, it was actually alright sitting with the group; they didn’t seem like crazy and offensive people.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>What’s up fuckers!</em>” A girl with purple hair and a very prominent Irish accent suddenly shouted as she ran and launched herself at Niki. She wore the Sixth Form uniform. The table erupted into fits of laughter at the girl’s action.</p><p> </p><p>“Hello to you too Minx!” Niki exclaimed as she wrapped her arms around Minx as an awkward side hug. They all watched as they hugged until Minx looked at Tommy with a confused look on her face.</p><p> </p><p>“New kid?”</p><p> </p><p>Tommy nodded sheepishly.</p><p> </p><p>“Well then, nice to meet you ya little shit! I’m Minx. Anyways, Niki, Wilbur and I need you in the library, we can’t find the fucking books that we need, and we know you’re a genius when it comes to finding shit.” Niki shook her head and giggled, collecting her backpack from the floor. Before they left, Tommy spoke up.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, Wilbur? As in Wilbur Soot-Watson?” The table turned to stare at him. He shrunk back slightly in embarrassment, his face slowly going red.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, why’d you ask?” Before Tommy could respond, Minx cut him off, “Wait…you’re the kid he mentioned his Dad was fostering! Shit probably shouldn’t have said that out loud. You don’t mind, do ya?” She questioned. The teen just shook his head and went back to eating his pasta.</p><p> </p><p>“Cool. C’mon then Niki, Wilbur’s probably on the verge of a mental breakdown.” She dragged the blonde girl by the arm as they left the canteen. Tommy expected the others to say something about him being a foster kid but, instead, Quackity spoke up.</p><p> </p><p>“So, the dude who’s fostering you is Phil Watson, right? Is he still single?”</p><p> </p><p>Everyone burst into laughter as Jack slapped him around the head with a loud ‘<em>Stop trying to get with people’s Dads!</em>’</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>The end of the school day arrived quicker than Tommy expected. Surprisingly, he didn’t exactly like the fact it seemed to end so soon, for he had actually enjoyed hanging out with Tubbo and the others. However, he told himself he shouldn’t get overly obsessed with the friendship; he knew he wasn’t going to stay long in the first place. Give it about a week and he’ll be gone again.</p><p> </p><p>He stayed behind Techno and Wilbur as they walked through the streets leading to their home (‘their’ not including Tommy, he still refused it to call the house his home), eavesdropping on their conversation. Phil had been kept late at work, resulting in the trio having to make their own back.</p><p> </p><p>“So, you spent the entirety of Lunch looking for a book that you had <em>already taken out</em> that you just left at home?”</p><p> </p><p>“Shut up Techno, it’s not my fault!”</p><p> </p><p>“No, it’s entirely your fault.” Techno avoided a slap to the head by ducking and smirked. Tommy smiled softly before focusing his attention onto the pavement underneath his feet. Then, his phone buzzed. He took it out of his pocket as he continued to walk, checking his notifications. It was a message from Tubbo. The shorter boy had begged him for his number and, when he realised he wouldn’t be able to get away, gave in and told him.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>Tubbo:</em>
</p><p>
  <em>helo! wanna come over to my hous??</em>
</p><p> </p><p>Tubbo had also attached his address to the message.</p><p> </p><p>“Tommy, why’d you stop?” Wilbur asked. The older teens had stopped to notice Tommy had stopped walking. When the blond realised, he cleared his throat.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh, is it okay if I go to a friend’s house?”</p><p> </p><p>Wilbur laughed, “Sure! I’ll text Dad and let him know. Have fun, and text Dad when you’re leaving so he can pick you up! I put his number in your phone.” Techno nodded as a response and the duo turned back around, continuing to walk home. Tommy was shocked at how Wilbur had even managed to get his phone and put the number in it but brushed it over and turned around to walk the opposite way. Considering he’d been to multiple homes in the past, he practically knew where lots of places were, Tubbo’s house included. He navigated his way through the streets until he was stood outside his new friend’s house.</p><p> </p><p>Cautiously, he knocked on the door and took a step back, waiting. He was about to knock again when the door opened to reveal someone who Tommy had not seen before. The man had near identical ram horns to Tubbo, except they were larger. He wore a simple black suit (minus the blazer) with a bright red tie that stood out tremendously and rolled up shirt sleeves. He assumed it was Tubbo’s Dad.</p><p> </p><p>“Who’re you?” The man asked.</p><p> </p><p>“Uh…I’m Tommy. Tubbo lives here, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, okay, yeah he does. I’m assuming you’re a friend of his; come in, I guess. The name’s Schlatt, don’t call me ‘Mister’ or whatever, weirds me out.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>thanks for reading!! i also go back to school on monday so that's gonna mean updates will slow down drastically, sorry y'all. see you next time!! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Misunderstandings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>WE ARE BACK BABY!! LET'S GOOOOOOOO</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tommy stepped into the house and observed his surroundings. The walls were filled with lots of differently framed pictures, the frames slightly worn. The carpet was some ugly green colour, and the teen swore there was some sort of stain near the staircase. The hallway he currently stood in was narrow. Two doorways were in front of him, one leading to what seemed to be the kitchen and the other led to the living room. He watched as Schlatt walked past him and into the living room before following.</p><p> </p><p>When he entered, he saw both Tubbo and Niki sat together on the couch. Tubbo was drawing on his arm with some random pen and Niki read a book that laid open in her lap. Upon Tommy’s entry, the brunet looked up and smiled widely, throwing the pen to the side and standing up to embrace his friend in a hug. Tommy flinched away slightly at the sudden contact, but covered it up quick enough for it to not be noticeable.</p><p> </p><p>“Hi Tubbo.”</p><p> </p><p>“Hi Tommy!” His smile only grew bigger (if that was even possible). Tubbo grabbed Tommy by the hand and led him to the sofa. Niki had moved over from where she was sat in the middle to the other end, leaving space for the boys to sit down. They chuckled as they collapsed onto it, bouncing slightly from the force.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m going to my office to do work, don’t disturb me.” Schlatt muttered before leaving the room and ascending the stairs. The trio watched as he did so before turning back to each other.</p><p> </p><p>“I didn’t know you two were related…” Tommy said.</p><p> </p><p>“A lot of people don’t. We look nothing like each other!” Niki ruffled Tubbo’s hair as she spoke, and the boy swatted her hand away. The girl giggled, standing up with her book in her hands. She told them she was going to be in her room before leaving the two boys to get into all sorts of shenanigans. Tommy watched as Tubbo turned the TV on and browsed through different channels before settling on some random cartoon the blond had never seen before. He had to admit, it was interesting.</p><p> </p><p>Around 15 minutes passed with the boys just watching TV before they got bored. Tommy played with his hands as he watched Tubbo stand up and switch the TV off, unplugging it from where it was plugged in.</p><p> </p><p>“So, what do ya wanna do?” The shorter teen asked. Tommy shrugged. It wasn’t like it was <em>his</em> home that he was currently in. Suddenly, Tubbo reached for the blond’s arm and pulled him up from the couch. Tommy stared at him, confused. Tubbo laughed.</p><p> </p><p>“I thought I saw something underneath the stairs earlier, the door for it has these little slits in and so I thought, how about we go look? Better than just sitting here doing nothing!”</p><p> </p><p>The blond blinked a few times before grinning ever so slightly and nodding. Like his friend said, better than sitting and doing nothing. He followed Tubbo out into the hall and towards the staircase. They strode forward towards the door and peered in slightly through the slits. There was something inside, but the light being broken made it impossible to see<em> exactly </em>what it was. Turning to face his friend, Tommy shot him a worried glance. Tubbo just smiled before opening the door.</p><p> </p><p>Inside were two main things. The first was multiple boxes of alcohol, ranging from wine to vodka. The bottles had clearly been there a while as dust covered the usually pristine and shiny bottles. Laying next to the boxes filled with alcohol was another box, much smaller than the others. Tubbo reached forward carefully and removed the top of it. The teens’ eyes grew wide as they saw what was inside.</p><p> </p><p>A gun, two to be exact.</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>What the fuck?</em>
</p><p> </p><p>“Why the <em>fuck</em> does your Dad have a gun?” Tommy whispered.</p><p> </p><p>“I have…no idea.”</p><p> </p><p>Footsteps sounded out above them and they realised someone was coming down the stairs, quickly. They scrambled to shove the box back into its spot from where they had pulled it out to see the guns clearer, but before they could close the lid on the box, Schlatt was stood behind them. Tubbo turned around to face his Dad, an awkward smile fixed on his face, whilst Tommy continued to face away, scared by just the simple presence of the man.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you think you’re doing?” The man’s voice was cold and his tone dark.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, Dad, uh…we were just…talking?” Tommy mentally facepalmed. God, could he have not come up with a different lie?</p><p> </p><p>“You’re shit at lying.” Schlatt pushed past Tubbo and looked at the blond still facing away. He looked at the still open box and scowled, “Why the <em>fuck</em> were you going through my shit?” Neither of the boys responded to that question. Tommy stood up but refused to make eye-contact as Tubbo shifted his own gaze to the, now very interesting, carpeted floor. You could hear a pin drop with how quiet the room suddenly became.</p><p> </p><p>“You,” Schlatt pointed to the blond, “Out. Now.”</p><p> </p><p>Tommy wasted no time in grabbing his bag from where he had left it in the living room before rushing to the front door, not wanting to anger the man further. He opened the door swiftly and practically ran out onto the street. Tubbo followed him outside, stopping at the bottom steps of the porch. They stared at each other awkwardly, the shorter of the two rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m…really sorry about him, Tommy. He can be really aggressive like that…”</p><p> </p><p>“It’s okay, we…we shouldn’t have gone through his shit.” Tommy was shaking like a leaf, playing with his hands. Schlatt’s behaviour was all too familiar to the teen. It reminded him <em>too much</em> about his previous homes. For a second it was as if he was back there, in his old home, standing in front of the person who had fucked him up the most.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah…I’ll see you tomorrow, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Mhm. Bye, Tubbo…I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” He turned around and gripped the straps of his backpack tightly as he walked down the street. Tubbo waved sadly as he watched his new friend walk out of view.</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>Thinking about it, Tommy really should’ve gotten Phil to pick him up.</p><p> </p><p>It had started to rain about halfway through his journey home. He cursed when it began and, since he didn’t have a coat on him, took his blazer off to use as a shield (sort of). By the time he had reached the house, his hair was partially soaked, whilst his blazer and the rest of his uniform was drenched, dripping water onto the wooden floor.</p><p> </p><p>He slowly walked up the stairs towards his bedroom, yawning and stretching. It wasn’t even Wednesday, and he was already shattered. The blond threw his things onto the bed before returning downstairs into the kitchen where Wilbur was. He entered and sat down on the counter, watching the older man make himself coffee.</p><p> </p><p>“So…how was it at your friend’s house? Whatever their name is.”</p><p> </p><p>“Tubbo. It went alright.” There was no way he would tell Wilbur about what had happened with Schlatt</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Tubbo! Niki’s brother! Nice to hear it went well.” The brunet grabbed his mug, now filled with coffee, and left for the living room. Tommy followed behind. There wasn’t any real reason as to why, he just didn’t know what to do, and he wasn’t planning on messaging Tubbo after what had happened. As Tommy entered, he took notice of how the Hamilton book that he had decided to read properly was no longer on the shelf. He let a puzzled expression fall onto his face.</p><p> </p><p>“Where’s the book I was reading?”</p><p> </p><p>“Which book?”</p><p> </p><p>“The one about Alexander Hamilton.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh! That one! Techno has it in his room, something to do with his History lesson, I think? I’m sure if you asked him to borrow it, he wouldn’t mind.” Wilbur grinned at Tommy before turning his attention to the TV that was no switched on, some random film playing on it. The blond thanked his quietly, standing up and making his way towards the stairs. He climbed them and stood outside of Techno’s door, a ‘knock before entering’ sign hanging on the front.</p><p> </p><p>Tommy looked in through the gap as the door wasn’t closed fully and saw that the room was empty. Was Techno out? It wasn’t like he had seen or heard him at all ever since he got back.</p><p> </p><p>Cautiously, he pushed the door open and quickly stepped in, scanning the room for the book. He noticed it placed neatly on top of some loose paper and he reached for it, gripping it tightly. As fast as he could, he turned around and strode towards the door. However, he almost fell over as he collided into something. He shook his head and composed himself before looking up and being greeted with the sight of Techno.</p><p> </p><p>“What are you doing?”</p><p> </p><p>“I was just, uh, getting this book.” He flashed the book before pulling it back into his chest, hands wrapped tightly around it.</p><p> </p><p>“You can’t just come into someone’s room!” Techno seemed to completely ignore what Tommy had said and scowled, “Give me back the book, I need it.”</p><p> </p><p>“I was just going to borrow it-”</p><p> </p><p>“Well, you should’ve asked instead of barging in here like you own the place!” The piglin-hybrid took the book from Tommy’s hands and threw it gently onto his desk chair, “Seriously, this isn’t even <em>your</em> <em>home</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Oh, well that hurt. The blond knew that Techno had only said it because of their petty little argument, but it didn’t make it hurt any less. After all, he was right. <em>It wasn’t his home</em>.</p><p> </p><p>The youngest of the two lowered his head and left the room, quietly, pretty much like a mouse. He felt tears gather in the corner of his eyes that threatened to spill. He couldn’t cry in front of Techno, no way. Once he reached his own- <em>the room he had been given</em>, he hastily shut the door, just as the tears began to stream down his cheeks. He laughed sadly. Christ was he being dramatic.</p><p> </p><p>Techno was right though, it wasn’t his home, it really fucking wasn’t.</p><p> </p><p>Maybe he should just leave…</p><p> </p><p>That was the right decision, right?</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>Phil, Wilbur and Techno sat at the dining table, waiting for Tommy to come downstairs. It was almost silent as they waited. However, the teen didn’t show up. Phil noticed that Wilbur seemed to be growing impatient and sent the brunet to go check on him. The oldest child did so and left the table, practically running up the stairs. Techno played with the fork in his hand as they waited.</p><p> </p><p>“Phil!”</p><p> </p><p>“Wilbur? What’s going on?” Phil called out, concerned. The next few words made Techno’s stomach sink.</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Tommy’s gone</em>.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>oopsies, techno made a fucky wucky<br/>I GOT STUCK ON HOW TO END IT SO HERE,, TAKE YOUR CLICHE RUNNING AWAY CHAPTER FDGJDFH<br/>Hope you enjoyed!! &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Lost and Found</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>so...THIS IT THE END!! when i got done with writing this chapter i struggled to think of a way to continue this story, so i edited the ending of this chapter to make it the finale.</p><p>i enjoyed writing this SO MUCH and i'm really glad so many people have enjoyed sticking around and reading it!!</p><p>THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH!!!!! I LOVE YOU GUYS &lt;3</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Tommy had no idea where he was going as he walked swiftly down the street. All he had on him was his backpack, stuffed with some clothes, his phone and charger as well as one or two snacks. Techno’s words repeated over and over in his head like some broken record.</p><p> </p><p>Sneaking out had been easy, simply sliding out of the window into the bushes below. However, figuring out what to do now was much harder. Could he go back to Puffy? Hell no. Could he stay out on the streets and sleep on some bench? Hell no. Could he possibly go to Sam and take up his offer? <em>Hell no</em>. He needed somewhere he wouldn’t be found, somewhere he wouldn’t get hurt either. Going to Tubbo’s was an absolute no, and he had no idea where the others lived. If Tommy was being honest with himself, he probably should have planned it out a bit more.</p><p> </p><p>Oh well, no going back now.</p><p> </p><p>Hastily, he stopped and took his phone from his bag, checking the time. 18:40. He dropped it back in, zipping the bag back up, before slinging it over his shoulder and continuing his journey to God knows where.</p><p> </p><p>He was alone.</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean he’s gone?!” Phil shouted, obviously panicking.</p><p> </p><p>“I mean that his window is open, and he’s gone! He’s fucking run off!” Wilbur shouted back, albeit a little quieter. Techno remained silent, fiddling with his hands and on the verge of breaking down. He had fucked up, <em>bad</em>. Tommy had run away because of<em> him</em>. It was all <em>his fault</em>.</p><p> </p><p>“Right, right, shit…we can’t freak out. Wilbur, head out and start looking around the area, ask some friends if they’ve seen him. Techno, you go do the same. I’ll go grab my keys and I’ll take the car to go look around town.” Phil ran a hand through his blond hair. There was nothing that mentioned Tommy being a flight risk. Wilbur nodded, rushing out of the front door with his phone in hand. The adult was about to reach for his keys when he noticed that Techno had not moved an inch, glancing at the carpet. He was visibly shaking.</p><p> </p><p>“Techno? What’s wrong, mate?” Phil carefully stepped towards the teen. He muttered something, but the adult didn’t catch it.</p><p> </p><p>“What was that?”</p><p> </p><p>“…’s my fault.” The piglin-hybrid looked up and Phil was taken aback by his expression. Unshed tears glistened in Techno’s eyes, something no one had seen before.</p><p> </p><p>“What do you mean it was <em>your fault</em>?”</p><p> </p><p>The teen wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, sniffling, “I told…I got mad because he went into my room and I…I told him that this wasn’t his home. <em>I messed up</em>,<em> I messed up bad</em>.”</p><p> </p><p>Phil briskly wrapped an arm around his son’s shoulder and pulled him into his embrace. He rubbed a soothing hand up and down his back, comforting him. The blond felt tears stain his shirt from where Techno had buried his head into Phil’s shoulder, trying to hide how vulnerable he appeared.</p><p> </p><p>“Hey, don’t say that, it’s okay.”</p><p> </p><p>“<em>But it’s not</em>!” Techno pulled away, eyebrows knitted closely together, clearly frustrated, “I…I <em>screwed</em> up! The reason Tommy ran away was because of <em>me</em>!” He furiously wiped away more tears that streamed down his face. Phil brought him into another hug and shushed him.</p><p> </p><p>“Techno, stop. We can discuss what happens later. What we need to do is find Tommy, otherwise none of us are gonna be okay. Let’s focus on that, yeah? C’mon mate, let’s go find him.”</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>“<em>Shit</em>…” Tommy murmured to himself. His phone had just died on him and he had no idea where he was. He probably should’ve stuck to the paths. If there was one thing he was bad at, it was navigating through the woods, despite going into them multiple times in the past. He was royally screwed now.</p><p> </p><p>Luckily, he had caught a glimpse at the time on his phone before it had shut off. 20:00.</p><p> </p><p>Had he really been out for almost 2 hours already?</p><p> </p><p>With trembling hands (it had gotten quite cold), he continued forward. There was a river in the distance, so he assumed that it would make a good place to stop for the night. He could sleep under a tree or something; maybe inside a little cave if there was one.</p><p> </p><p>The river, once he reached it, was surrounded by lots of rocks and trees. Good enough, he guessed. Taking out his water bottle, he refilled it, using the river water. Surely it was safe to drink, right? If not, all he had to do was purify it. Not too hard.</p><p> </p><p>Suddenly, a twig snapped behind him and he turned, almost dropping his bottle and spilling the contents everywhere.</p><p> </p><p>“Who the fuck is there?!” Tommy yelled out. Panic washed over him, and he stood up from where he had been kneeling, bracing himself to run just in case. He saw a tall figure and almost ran away there and then.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait! Are you Tommy?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why…Why do ya wanna know? What’s it to you?” Tommy glared and took several steps back.</p><p> </p><p>“Wait, don’t go! I’m Ranboo, Techno’s friend,” Ranboo came into view now. He was half enderman and half…something else, “I got a call asking if I had seen someone named Tommy. I got sent a picture too and you look a lot like him. When I saw you enter the woods, I thought I should probably follow! Techno’s worried, his family is too.”</p><p> </p><p>Wait, Techno was worried about him? Phil and Wilbur too? Tommy remained silent.</p><p> </p><p>“You are Tommy, right? I haven’t got the wrong person…?” The blond nodded. He saw Ranboo visibly calm down a bit, shoulders untensing, “Why did you leave?”</p><p> </p><p>Tommy scoffed, “Because I’m not wanted. Techno said it himself, ‘<em>this isn’t even your home</em>’, he’s fucking right too.”</p><p> </p><p>“Oh…But you…you don’t really believe it, right?”</p><p> </p><p>“Why wouldn’t I, bitch?”</p><p> </p><p>“Techno can sometimes…” Ranboo sighed, “He can sometimes get like that, say stuff he doesn’t really mean. I don’t think he would have asked me to help search for you if he wasn’t panicking over this.”</p><p> </p><p>The two teenagers stared at each other, the only sound being the flowing water of the river. Ranboo wasn’t lying, was he? Tommy sighed softly and focused his attention on the leaves below him. It would probably be best to get out of the woods anyway.</p><p> </p><p>“Think you can show me out of here, big man?”</p><p> </p><p>~~~</p><p> </p><p>When Techno got the text from Ranboo, saying he had found Tommy, the piglin-hybrid almost sobbed with relief.</p><p> </p><p>Tommy had been found, and he was<em> safe</em>. It was as if a massive weight had just been lifted.</p><p> </p><p>Ranboo had attached a location, some random McDonalds nearby, with the message. Phil instantly began to drive that way. Wilbur was practically on the edge of his seat, same with Techno, as they pulled into an empty parking space. As soon as the car came to a stop, the brunet threw open the car door, more aggressively than he’d care to admit, and practically ran towards the entrance of the McDonalds. Next was Phil, who sighed in ease at the sight of the teen stood behind the hybrid. Techno lagged behind the others, clearly anxious about the encounter. What was Tommy even thinking?</p><p> </p><p>“Tommy! Thank God…” Phil immediately pulled the boy into a tight hug. Tommy grew stiff in his arms but wrapped his own around the adult reluctantly. He had yet to say anything.</p><p> </p><p>“He was in the woods by a river,” Ranboo stated, “If you hadn’t sent me a picture of him, Techno, I might not have followed him.”</p><p> </p><p>“Mhm…Thanks, Ranboo.” Techno nodded at his friend, shifting his weight from one foot to another. God was he nervous.</p><p> </p><p>“Right, I think we should head home now, this night has been crazy for all of us. Seriously, <em>thank you</em>, Ranboo.” Phil tipped his iconic bucket hat at the teen. Ranboo smiled sheepishly, telling him not to thank him, that it was no big deal. Wilbur gave him a light punch to his arm, his own way to thank him, before turning and heading back to the car. Techno followed closely behind, then Phil and Tommy.</p><p> </p><p>Tommy still hadn’t uttered a word.</p><p> </p><p>The car ride back to the house was painfully silent. Not even the sound of the music flowing from the radio could ease the tension that was present, so they simultaneously agreed to simply turn it off.</p><p> </p><p>When they pulled into the drive, all four of them entered the house and instantly made their way to the living room. Tommy collapsed onto the couch, Phil doing the same and wrapping an arm around then blond. Techno sat in the armchair, curling into himself as Wilbur put Tommy’s phone on charge before sitting on the other side of the boy. No one said anything, the only sounds being their breathing and the sounds of cars driving down the street. Suddenly, a small sniffled emitted from Tommy. The other 3 men in the room turned to face him.</p><p> </p><p>“Tommy?” Phil questioned.</p><p> </p><p>“I’m…I’m <em>so sorry</em>…” His voice was quiet and weak. He sounded so…<em>defeated</em>.</p><p> </p><p>“Oh, Tommy.” The adult pulled him into his side and comforted the now crying teen.</p><p> </p><p>“Don’t apologise, Toms.” No one expected the nickname that fell from Wilbur’s mouth, but no one questioned it as the brunet wrapped his own arm around Tommy’s shoulder, squeezing it in a soothing manner.</p><p> </p><p>“Yeah, don’t apologise. If anything, I’m…” Techno paused and played with his hands again, “<em>I’m</em> the one who should be sorry…What I said was <em>out of line </em>and I…I <em>regret</em> it. I’m sorry.”</p><p> </p><p>Tommy smiled sadly and laughed. He could tell the piglin-hybrid was genuine about his apology. He had been such a fool for believing what he had said. The blond gestured for Techno to join the hug and, although hesitant at first, he stood up and gingerly stumbled over. He collapsed into Phil’s side and sighed. Wilbur chuckled and Phil grinned.</p><p> </p><p>For what had felt like the longest time, Tommy felt content with where he was.</p><p> </p><p>He had a <em>family</em>.</p><p> </p><p>It no longer felt like the roads were his home.</p><p> </p><p><em>This</em>…<em>This </em>was his home.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>yep, this it it, this is the end</p><p>adios my friends, see you next time :D</p><p>&lt;3</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hope you enjoyed this first chapter! &lt;3</p></blockquote></div></div>
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